Moric Hidden Treasures NR2 Somlo 2019 / 2022
Type: White
Country: Hungary
Region: Tokaji
Grape Variety: Harslevelu, Welschriesling
Rating: 94 James Suckling Points
Climate: Hot, dry continental climate
Terroir: Vines grown on soil that consist of basalt rock mixed with sand, clay and some chalk
Winemaking: In the cellar, fermentation is spontaneous, partly in stainless steel and partly in Hungarian oak
Color: Light golden yellow
Nose: Smells of lime blossom, fennel and fennel green, anise pollen and freshly brewed white tea in combination with apple and apple peel, some citrus and grapefruit peel, dry herbs and stone
Palate: Juicy and acidic, herb-scented and stony with a lively minerality and a lot of salt. Ethereal and tonic, densely interwoven and yet transparent
About the Winery:
Roland Velich is the passionate winemaker behind an Austrian red touted to rival Grand Cru Burgundy. While Austria is better known for its whites, Roland had a fascination with the unusual red grape, Blaufränkisch. So he left his family’s estate and set up Weingut Moric (pronounced Moritz) in the lesser-known Mittelburgenland, which is close to the Hungarian Border around an hour’s drive from Vienna. Such was his determination, he paid for the estate using money that he’d saved working in a casino as a croupier. Roland now seeks out high-yielding, old-vine vineyards, and vinifies the grapes as simply as possible, looking to bring out Blaufränkisch’s inherently pure, elegant character.
As a self-professed Burgundy fan, his reds echo the finesse of Grand Cru Pinot Noir, and, rather than try to over-extract fruit flavours like some of his predecessors, Roland’s wines have a cool climate quality more commonly found in fine Nebbiolo or Northern Rhône Syrah. His top wine is a blend of eight different vineyard sites and includes some of the oldest vines that surround the village of Lutzmannsburg. These are unique reds which brilliantly echo their terroir.
